Sensor virtualization through cloud storage and retrieval mechanisms

ABSTRACT

Mechanisms are provided for virtualizing physical sensors and providing sensor data to a requestor using the virtualized physical sensors. The mechanisms obtain sensor data from a plurality of physical sensors and storing the sensor data in a virtual sensor storage system of the data processing system in at least one standardized format. A request from a requestor for a first type of sensor data is received which does not specify a particular physical sensor. A portion of the sensor data stored in the virtual sensor storage system is retrieved in response to receiving the request, the portion of sensor data corresponding to the type of sensor data requested in the request from the requestor. The retrieved portion of the sensor data is returned to the requestor in a format corresponding to a physical sensor configured to provide the requested type of sensor data.

This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 13/571,780,filed Aug. 10, 2012, status awaiting publication.

BACKGROUND

The present application relates generally to an improved data processingapparatus and method and more specifically to mechanisms for providingsensor virtualization for abstracting physical sensors that provide datato applications by using cloud storage and retrieval mechanisms.

Many consumer electronics today comprise a variety of sensors fordetecting various conditions and providing data to applicationsindicative of the sensed conditions. For example, electronic devices maybe equipped with motion sensors, accelerometers, light sensors, radiofrequency identifier (RFID) sensors, barometers, hygrometers, and thelike.

Recently, there have been mechanisms devised for virtualizing thesesensors so as to optimize the sensors for the particular applicationswith which they are utilized. For example, as described in Hirase etal., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009/0216827, publishedAug. 27, 2009, these mechanisms address the problem that sensors are notalways optimized for the existing application software that uses thesensor data and to address the problem of incorporating programming codefor sensor control into the application software. The Hirase mechanismprovides sensor manager that receives instructions from applications,judges whether sensor output meets the requirements of the receivedinstruction and, if so, generates an interrupt to the applicationsubmitting the instruction. Thus, in Hirase, the received instructionsthemselves are the “virtual sensors” which essentially operate as afilter on the sensor output. Thus, with Hirase, sensor output that doesnot meet the requirements of the conditions of the received instructionis suppressed.

SUMMARY

In one illustrative embodiment, a method, in a data processing system,is provided for virtualizing physical sensors and providing sensor datato a requestor using the virtualized physical sensors. The methodcomprises obtaining, in the data processing system, sensor data from aplurality of physical sensors and storing the sensor data in a virtualsensor storage system of the data processing system in at least onestandardized format. The method comprises receiving, in the virtualsensor storage system, a request from a requestor for a first type ofsensor data. The request does not specify a particular physical sensor.The method also comprises retrieving, by the virtual sensor storagesystem, a portion of the sensor data stored in the virtual sensorstorage system in response to receiving the request. The portion ofsensor data corresponds to the type of sensor data requested in therequest from the requestor. Moreover, the method comprises returning, bythe virtual sensor storage system, the retrieved portion of the sensordata to the requestor in a format corresponding to a physical sensorconfigured to provide the requested type of sensor data.

In other illustrative embodiments, a computer program product comprisinga computer useable or readable medium having a computer readable programis provided. The computer readable program, when executed on a computingdevice, causes the computing device to perform various ones of, andcombinations of, the operations outlined above with regard to the methodillustrative embodiment.

In yet another illustrative embodiment, a system/apparatus is provided.The system/apparatus may comprise one or more processors and a memorycoupled to the one or more processors. The memory may compriseinstructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, causethe one or more processors to perform various ones of, and combinationsof, the operations outlined above with regard to the method illustrativeembodiment.

These and other features and advantages of the present invention will bedescribed in, or will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in theart in view of, the following detailed description of the exampleembodiments of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention, as well as a preferred mode of use and further objectivesand advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to thefollowing detailed description of illustrative embodiments when read inconjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic of an example of a cloud computing node inaccordance with one illustrative embodiment;

FIG. 2 is an example of a cloud computing environment in which aspectsof the illustrative embodiments may be implemented;

FIG. 3 is an example diagram of a set of functional abstraction layersprovided by a cloud computing environment in accordance with oneillustrative embodiment;

FIG. 4 is an example block diagram illustrating the interaction andoperation of the primary operational elements of the Sensor Cloudmechanisms of the illustrative embodiments; and

FIG. 5 is a flowchart outlining an example operation for handling arequest from an application for sensor data using a Sensor Cloud inaccordance with one illustrative embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As noted above, many electronic devices make use of sensor data, andapplications operating on such sensor data, to perform variousfunctions. However, for a variety of reasons, the availability of agiven sensor cannot be relied upon. For example, a sensor may becomedisabled due to a hardware fault, damage, or lack of power, i.e.unexpected events that require human intervention to bring the sensorback online. Alternatively, sensor outages may be planned, e.g., asensor may come online periodically and stay on for a limited amount oftime in order to conserve battery power. At any rate, whether planned orunexpected, there are times that an application cannot rely on theavailability of physical sensors to perform its functions.

Also, as mentioned above, sensor virtualization mechanisms have beendevised, such as described in the above referenced Hirase et al. PatentApplication Publication No. 2009/0216827, for setting filter conditionson sensor output so that only the sensor output matching the filterconditions is returned to the application that created the virtualsensor. This “virtualization” of sensors is in actuality just a filterof the sensor output from the physical sensors rather than actuallyproviding any virtualization of the sensors themselves. Moreover, suchmechanisms suppress data not meeting the conditions of the filter andare susceptible to sensor outages or unavailability.

Contrary to these filtering mechanisms, the illustrative embodimentsprovide mechanisms for virtualizing sensors using cloud computingmechanisms. That is, the illustrative embodiments leverage cloudcomputing technology to absorb sensor data and to provide tools forvirtualizing sensors. As a result, applications on computing devicescommunicating with the cloud computing mechanisms of the illustrativeembodiments are relieved of the task of providing a variety ofinterfaces to a variety of physical sensors. Moreover, the mechanisms ofthe illustrative embodiments are not susceptible to the problemsassociated with the unavailability of specific physical sensors due tothe fact that the mechanisms of the illustrative embodiments provide atrue virtualization of physical sensors via the cloud computingresources.

The illustrative embodiments provide three primary mechanisms forproviding the cloud computing based virtualization of sensors mentionedabove. First, the illustrative embodiments provide a standardizedinterface through which applications can request and obtain sensor datafrom virtualized sensors via cloud computing resources. Second, theillustrative embodiments provide a standardized interface by whichphysical sensors can post sensor data to cloud computing resources forretrieval by applications. Third, the illustrative embodiments providemechanisms for implementing an organized storage of sensor data so as tofacilitate the retrieval of sensor data pertinent to requests fromapplications via cloud computing mechanisms.

With regard to the first mechanism for providing a standardizedinterface through which applications can request and obtain sensor datafrom virtualized sensors via cloud computing resources, a standardizedset of application program interfaces (APIs) are provided that haveinput parameters and returned results consistent with the targetphysical sensor from which applications are requesting sensor data. Thatis, the cloud computing resources include APIs that operate as virtualsensors to which the applications may submit a request for a particulartype of data as specified by input parameters and can expect results tobe provided in a manner and format consistent with the type of outputactually provided by the physical sensor such that it is transparent tothe application as to whether the sensor data is being provided by thecloud computing based virtualized sensors or from actual physicalsensors.

For example, one of the standardized APIs may be an API for requestingcurrent temperature data for a user-defined range of latitudes andlongitudes. In response to a request from an application for suchtemperature data, the request including input parameters indicating thelatitudes/longitudes as well as other input parameters, the API mayreturn an array of temperature data values ordered first by increasinglatitude and then by increasing longitude, or organized according to auser specified preference in the input parameters. The API may furtherallow the user to specify additional conditions of the request includingrequesting that the sensor data be interpolated with a user-specifiedgranularity and indicate how the interpolated sensor data may beorganized in the returned results. Such interpolation may be a processorintensive operation dependent on the size of the field over which theinterpolation occurs and thus, the API may further allow a user toselect a rate of return (ROR) where the higher the ROR, the faster theuser wants a response. If the user specifies a ROR=highest, then theAPIs of the cloud computing mechanisms can direct the interpolationphase of the request to be completed on the fastest computing platformthat the cloud computing mechanism have at their disposal, e.g., a supercomputing platform with a math library that can perform ultra-fastinterpolation.

It should be noted that since a standardized set of APIs are provided inthe cloud computing mechanisms of the illustrative embodiments, whenrequesting sensor data from the cloud computing mechanisms of theillustrative embodiments, the APIs allow applications to request onlythe parameters of the sensor data that the application needs withouthaving to specify a particular physical sensor be read. That is, in therequest, the application specifies only the type of sensor data theapplication wants returned, any operations to be performed on the sensordata, and the format of the returned data, and the like. The cloudcomputing mechanisms of the illustrative embodiments, hereafter referredto as the Sensor Cloud, will locate the sensor data that matches therequested type of sensor data by searching through its stored sensordata logs, performs the requested operations on the found sensor data,and returns the processed sensor data to the requesting application inthe requested format. It should be appreciated that this sensor data mayall come from the same physical sensor or a plurality of physicalsensors associated with different electronic devices. The applicationdoes not know what physical sensors are providing the sensor data onlythat the requested sensor data is returned from the Sensor Cloud.

The Sensor Cloud may further provide authentication mechanisms forauthenticating an application, or a user of an application, beforeproviding the requested sensor data. Once authenticated, theapplication/user may be granted access to the requested sensor data forwhich it/they are authorized.

With regard to the second primary mechanism of the illustrativeembodiments, a standardized interface by which physical sensors can postsensor data to cloud computing resources for retrieval by applicationsis provided. To provide this standardized interface, the Sensor Cloudprovides a set of standard APIs which conform to the interfacerequirements of a variety of physical sensors. The physical sensorsthemselves, or at least the data processing devices with which thephysical sensors are associated, are configured to send their outputdata to the Sensor Cloud to be time stamped, logged, and made availableto authorized applications/users.

The sensor data stored by the Sensor Cloud mechanisms may be obtainedfrom a variety of different physical sensors associated with a varietyof different data processing systems, electronic devices, or the like,which communicate this data with the Sensor Cloud via corresponding onesof the standard APIs. The providers of such sensor data may stipulateconstraints on the way in which the sensor data may be consumed byapplications/users and/or may constrain which applications/users, typesof applications/users, or the like, can obtain access to the sensor dataprovided. This constraint information may be stored in association withthe sensor data provided by the provider to the Sensor Cloud.

For example, physical sensors deployed by variousorganizations/individuals/companies, or the like, may contribute theirsensor data for open use by the greater community of users/applicationsvia the Sensor Cloud mechanisms of the illustrative embodiments usingthe standard APIs provided by the Sensor Cloud. Environmentalorganizations, academia, government organizations, and the like, mayopenly provide their sensor data without constraint, for example. Othertypes of organizations, such as corporations, business, or the like, mayprefer to place constraints on access to the sensor data that theyprovide to the Sensor Cloud and thus, can specify these constraints inassociation with the physical sensors when configuring the physicalsensors to communication with the Sensor Cloud. Such constraints wouldthen be associated with the sensor data provided by that organization'ssensors.

Regarding the third primary mechanism of the illustrative embodiments,mechanisms for implementing an organized storage of sensor data so as tofacilitate the retrieval of sensor data pertinent to requests fromapplications via cloud computing mechanisms are provided. To implementthese storage mechanisms, the Sensor Cloud maintains current sensor dataas well as historic sensor data as storage space permits. The SensorCloud accepts sensor data from a variety of different sensors of avariety of different sensor types. The sensor data may be obtained froma variety of different sensor types in a variety of different formatsvia the standard APIs, but may store the received data in a uniformstandard format within the storage system of the Sensor Cloud for easeof retrieval. This standardized format may be standardized across alltypes of sensors or may be a different standardized format forparticular categories or types of sensors, e.g., temperature sensorshave a first standardized format while voltage sensors have a secondstandardized format different from the first standardized format. Ineither case, the different formats of sensor data from actual physicalsensors may be converted to a standardized format associated with avirtual sensor which facilitates searching of the sensor data based onsensor data type and other search criteria corresponding to requests forsensor data from the Sensor Cloud.

The variety of different sensors may have overlapping sensor data. Suchredundancy can be leveraged by the Sensor Cloud to detect sensors thatappear to be unreliable based on comparison with nearby sensors of asame type. That is, for example, by comparing sensor data obtained fromnearby physical sensors, if a majority of these nearby physical sensorsare measuring values within a particular range and another nearbyphysical sensor measures a value that is an extreme outlier, from thisrange, then it can be determined that the physical sensor measuring theextreme outlier value is most likely unreliable or otherwise operatingin a faulty manner, if at all. In addition, the Sensor Cloud can providea thinning function to remove or compress redundant data.

With these mechanisms of the Sensor Cloud, sensor data from a variety ofdifferent physical sensors associated with the same or different dataprocessing devices, electronic devices, or the like, may be receivedinto the Sensor Cloud and used to represent data output by virtualizedsensors. Applicants may request sensor data from the Sensor Cloudwithout specifying a particular physical sensor from which the data isto be retrieved. Standardized APIs permit such communication betweenapplications and the Sensor Cloud as well as communication between thephysical sensors and the Sensor Cloud. A standardized organized storagemechanism permits such APIs to access sensor data obtained from avariety of different physical sensors in a uniform manner. As a result,the mechanisms of the illustrative embodiments provide a truevirtualized sensor mechanism in which applications are not assusceptible to unavailability of particular physical sensors. With themechanisms of the illustrative embodiments, the virtual sensors aredefined internal to the Sensor Cloud and not specified as filterconditions by the particular applications requesting the sensor data.

As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, aspects of the presentinvention may be embodied as a system, method, or computer programproduct. Accordingly, aspects of the present invention may take the formof an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment(including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or anembodiment combining software and hardware aspects that may allgenerally be referred to herein as a “circuit,” “module” or “system.”Furthermore, aspects of the present invention may take the form of acomputer program product embodied in any one or more computer readablemedium(s) having computer usable program code embodied thereon.

Any combination of one or more computer readable medium(s) may beutilized. The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signalmedium or a computer readable storage medium. A computer readablestorage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic,magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system,apparatus, device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. Morespecific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer readablestorage medium would include the following: an electrical connectionhaving one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, arandom access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasableprogrammable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber,a portable compact disc read-only memory (CDROM), an optical storagedevice, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. In the context of this document, a computer readable storagemedium may be any tangible medium that can contain or store a programfor use by or in connection with an instruction execution system,apparatus, or device.

A computer readable signal medium may include a propagated data signalwith computer readable program code embodied therein, for example, in abaseband or as part of a carrier wave. Such a propagated signal may takeany of a variety of forms, including, but not limited to,electro-magnetic, optical, or any suitable combination thereof. Acomputer readable signal medium may be any computer readable medium thatis not a computer readable storage medium and that can communicate,propagate, or transport a program for use by or in connection with aninstruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

Computer code embodied on a computer readable medium may be transmittedusing any appropriate medium, including but not limited to wireless,wireline, optical fiber cable, radio frequency (RF), etc., or anysuitable combination thereof.

Computer program code for carrying out operations for aspects of thepresent invention may be written in any combination of one or moreprogramming languages, including an object oriented programming languagesuch as Java™, Smalltalk™, C++, or the like, and conventional proceduralprogramming languages, such as the “C” programming language or similarprogramming languages. The program code may execute entirely on theuser's computer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alonesoftware package, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remotecomputer, or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latterscenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computerthrough any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or awide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an externalcomputer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet ServiceProvider).

Aspects of the present invention are described below with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems) and computer program products according to the illustrativeembodiments of the invention. It will be understood that each block ofthe flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations ofblocks in the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can beimplemented by computer program instructions. These computer programinstructions may be provided to a processor of a general purposecomputer, special purpose computer, or other programmable dataprocessing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions,which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmabledata processing apparatus, create means for implementing thefunctions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computerreadable medium that can direct a computer, other programmable dataprocessing apparatus, or other devices to function in a particularmanner, such that the instructions stored in the computer readablemedium produce an article of manufacture including instructions thatimplement the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks.

The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer,other programmable data processing apparatus, or other devices to causea series of operational steps to be performed on the computer, otherprogrammable apparatus, or other devices to produce a computerimplemented process such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer or other programmable apparatus provide processes forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof code, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). It should also be notedthat, in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in theblock may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, twoblocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantiallyconcurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverseorder, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be notedthat each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, andcombinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchartillustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-basedsystems that perform the specified functions or acts, or combinations ofspecial purpose hardware and computer instructions.

The illustrative embodiments may be utilized in many different types ofdata processing environments. In order to provide a context for thedescription of the specific elements and functionality of theillustrative embodiments, FIGS. 1-3 are provided hereafter as exampleenvironments in which aspects of the illustrative embodiments may beimplemented. It should be appreciated that FIGS. 1 and 2 are onlyexamples and are not intended to assert or imply any limitation withregard to the environments in which aspects or embodiments of thepresent invention may be implemented. Many modifications to the depictedenvironments may be made without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe present invention.

It should be understood in advance that although this disclosureincludes a detailed description on cloud computing, implementation ofthe teachings recited herein are not limited to a cloud computingenvironment. Rather, embodiments of the present invention are capable ofbeing implemented in conjunction with any other type of computingenvironment now known or later developed.

Cloud computing is a model of service delivery for enabling convenient,on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computingresources (e.g. networks, network bandwidth, servers, processing,memory, storage, applications, virtual machines, and services) that canbe rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort orinteraction with a provider of the service. This cloud model may includeat least five characteristics, at least three service models, and atleast four deployment models.

Characteristics are as follows:

On-demand self-service: a cloud consumer can unilaterally provisioncomputing capabilities, such as server time and network storage, asneeded automatically without requiring human interaction with theservice's provider.

Broad network access: capabilities are available over a network andaccessed through standard mechanisms that promote use by heterogeneousthin or thick client platforms (e.g., mobile phones, laptops, and PDAs).

Resource pooling: the provider's computing resources are pooled to servemultiple consumers using a multi-tenant model, with different physicaland virtual resources dynamically assigned and reassigned according todemand. There is a sense of location independence in that the consumergenerally has no control or knowledge over the exact location of theprovided resources but may be able to specify location at a higher levelof abstraction (e.g., country, state, or datacenter).

Rapid elasticity: capabilities can be rapidly and elasticallyprovisioned, in some cases automatically, to quickly scale out andrapidly released to quickly scale in. To the consumer, the capabilitiesavailable for provisioning often appear to be unlimited and can bepurchased in any quantity at any time.

Measured service: cloud systems automatically control and optimizeresource use by leveraging a metering capability at some level ofabstraction appropriate to the type of service (e.g., storage,processing, bandwidth, and active user accounts). Resource usage can bemonitored, controlled, and reported providing transparency for both theprovider and consumer of the utilized service.

Service Models are as follows:

Software as a Service (SaaS): the capability provided to the consumer isto use the provider's applications running on a cloud infrastructure.The applications are accessible from various client devices through athin client interface such as a web browser (e.g., web-based email). Theconsumer does not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructureincluding network, servers, operating systems, storage, or evenindividual application capabilities, with the possible exception oflimited user-specific application configuration settings.

Platform as a Service (PaaS): the capability provided to the consumer isto deploy onto the cloud infrastructure consumer-created or acquiredapplications created using programming languages and tools supported bythe provider. The consumer does not manage or control the underlyingcloud infrastructure including networks, servers, operating systems, orstorage, but has control over the deployed applications and possiblyapplication hosting environment configurations.

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): the capability provided to theconsumer is to provision processing, storage, networks, and otherfundamental computing resources where the consumer is able to deploy andrun arbitrary software, which can include operating systems andapplications. The consumer does not manage or control the underlyingcloud infrastructure but has control over operating systems, storage,deployed applications, and possibly limited control of select networkingcomponents (e.g., host firewalls).

Deployment Models are as follows:

Private cloud: the cloud infrastructure is operated solely for anorganization. It may be managed by the organization or a third party andmay exist on-premises or off-premises.

Community cloud: the cloud infrastructure is shared by severalorganizations and supports a specific community that has shared concerns(e.g., mission, security requirements, policy, and complianceconsiderations). It may be managed by the organizations or a third partyand may exist on-premises or off-premises.

Public cloud: the cloud infrastructure is made available to the generalpublic or a large industry group and is owned by an organization sellingcloud services.

Hybrid cloud: the cloud infrastructure is a composition of two or moreclouds (private, community, or public) that remain unique entities butare bound together by standardized or proprietary technology thatenables data and application portability (e.g., cloud bursting for loadbalancing between clouds).

A cloud computing environment is service oriented with a focus onstatelessness, low coupling, modularity, and semantic interoperability.At the heart of cloud computing is an infrastructure comprising anetwork of interconnected nodes.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a schematic of an example of a cloud computingnode is shown. Cloud computing node 10 is only one example of a suitablecloud computing node and is not intended to suggest any limitation as tothe scope of use or functionality of embodiments of the inventiondescribed herein. Regardless, cloud computing node 10 is capable ofbeing implemented and/or performing any of the functionality set forthhereinabove.

In cloud computing node 10 there is a computer system/server 12, whichis operational with numerous other general purpose or special purposecomputing system environments or configurations. Examples of well-knowncomputing systems, environments, and/or configurations that may besuitable for use with computer system/server 12 include, but are notlimited to, personal computer systems, server computer systems, thinclients, thick clients, handheld or laptop devices, multiprocessorsystems, microprocessor-based systems, set top boxes, programmableconsumer electronics, network PCs, minicomputer systems, mainframecomputer systems, and distributed cloud computing environments thatinclude any of the above systems or devices, and the like.

Computer system/server 12 may be described in the general context ofcomputer system executable instructions, such as program modules, beingexecuted by a computer system. Generally, program modules may includeroutines, programs, objects, components, logic, data structures, and soon that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract datatypes. Computer system/server 12 may be practiced in distributed cloudcomputing environments where tasks are performed by remote processingdevices that are linked through a communications network. In adistributed cloud computing environment, program modules may be locatedin both local and remote computer system storage media including memorystorage devices.

As shown in FIG. 1, computer system/server 12 in cloud computing node 10is shown in the form of a general-purpose computing device. Thecomponents of computer system/server 12 may include, but are not limitedto, one or more processors or processing units 16, a system memory 28,and a bus 18 that couples various system components including systemmemory 28 to processor 16.

Bus 18 represents one or more of any of several types of bus structures,including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, anaccelerated graphics port, and a processor or local bus using any of avariety of bus architectures. By way of example, and not limitation,such architectures include Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus,Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) bus, Enhanced ISA (EISA) bus, VideoElectronics Standards Association (VESA) local bus, and PeripheralComponent Interconnects (PCI) bus.

Computer system/server 12 typically includes a variety of computersystem readable media. Such media may be any available media that isaccessible by computer system/server 12, and it includes both volatileand non-volatile media, removable and non-removable media.

System memory 28 can include computer system readable media in the formof volatile memory, such as random access memory (RAM) 30 and/or cachememory 32. Computer system/server 12 may further include otherremovable/non-removable, volatile/non-volatile computer system storagemedia. By way of example only, storage system 34 can be provided forreading from and writing to a non-removable, non-volatile magnetic media(not shown and typically called a “hard drive”). Although not shown, amagnetic disk drive for reading from and writing to a removable,non-volatile magnetic disk (e.g., a “floppy disk”), and an optical diskdrive for reading from or writing to a removable, non-volatile opticaldisk such as a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM or other optical media can be provided.In such instances, each can be connected to bus 18 by one or more datamedia interfaces. As will be further depicted and described below,memory 28 may include at least one program product having a set (e.g.,at least one) of program modules that are configured to carry out thefunctions of embodiments of the invention.

Program/utility 40, having a set (at least one) of program modules 42,may be stored in memory 28 by way of example, and not limitation, aswell as an operating system, one or more application programs, otherprogram modules, and program data. Each of the operating system, one ormore application programs, other program modules, and program data orsome combination thereof, may include an implementation of a networkingenvironment. Program modules 42 generally carry out the functions and/ormethodologies of embodiments of the invention as described herein.Computer system/server 12 may also communicate with one or more externaldevices 14 such as a keyboard, a pointing device, a display 24, etc.;one or more devices that enable a user to interact with computersystem/server 12; and/or any devices (e.g., network card, modem, etc.)that enable computer system/server 12 to communicate with one or moreother computing devices. Such communication can occur via Input/Output(I/O) interfaces 22. Still yet, computer system/server 12 cancommunicate with one or more networks such as a local area network(LAN), a general wide area network (WAN), and/or a public network (e.g.,the Internet) via network adapter 20. As depicted, network adapter 20communicates with the other components of computer system/server 12 viabus 18. It should be understood that although not shown, other hardwareand/or software components could be used in conjunction with computersystem/server 12. Examples, include, but are not limited to: microcode,device drivers, redundant processing units, external disk drive arrays,RAID systems, tape drives, and data archival storage systems, etc.

Referring now to FIG. 2, illustrative cloud computing environment 50 isdepicted. As shown, cloud computing environment 50 comprises one or morecloud computing nodes 10 with which local computing devices used bycloud consumers, such as, for example, personal digital assistant (PDA)or cellular telephone 54A, desktop computer 54B, laptop computer 54C,and/or automobile computer system 54N may communicate. Nodes 10 maycommunicate with one another. They may be grouped (not shown) physicallyor virtually, in one or more networks, such as Private, Community,Public, or Hybrid clouds as described hereinabove, or a combinationthereof. This allows cloud computing environment 50 to offerinfrastructure, platforms and/or software as services for which a cloudconsumer does not need to maintain resources on a local computingdevice. It is understood that the types of computing devices 54A-N shownin FIG. 2 are intended to be illustrative only and that computing nodes10 and cloud computing environment 50 can communicate with any type ofcomputerized device over any type of network and/or network addressableconnection (e.g., using a web browser).

Referring now to FIG. 3, a set of functional abstraction layers providedby cloud computing environment 50 (FIG. 2) is shown. It should beunderstood in advance that the components, layers, and functions shownin FIG. 3 are intended to be illustrative only and embodiments of theinvention are not limited thereto. As depicted, the following layers andcorresponding functions are provided:

Hardware and software layer 60 includes hardware and softwarecomponents. Examples of hardware components include mainframes, in oneexample IBM® zSeries® systems; RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer)architecture based servers, in one example IBM pSeries® systems; IBMxSeries® systems; IBM BladeCenter® systems; storage devices; networksand networking components. Examples of software components includenetwork application server software, in one example IBM WebSphere®application server software; and database software, in one example IBMDB2® database software. (IBM, zSeries, pSeries, xSeries, BladeCenter,WebSphere, and DB2 are trademarks of International Business MachinesCorporation registered in many jurisdictions worldwide).

Virtualization layer 62 provides an abstraction layer from which thefollowing examples of virtual entities may be provided: virtual servers;virtual storage; virtual networks, including virtual private networks;virtual applications and operating systems; and virtual clients.

In one example, management layer 64 may provide the functions describedbelow. Resource provisioning provides dynamic procurement of computingresources and other resources that are utilized to perform tasks withinthe cloud computing environment. Metering and Pricing provide costtracking as resources are utilized within the cloud computingenvironment, and billing or invoicing for consumption of theseresources. In one example, these resources may comprise applicationsoftware licenses. Security provides identity verification for cloudconsumers and tasks, as well as protection for data and other resources.User portal provides access to the cloud computing environment forconsumers and system administrators. Service level management providescloud computing resource allocation and management such that requiredservice levels are met. Service Level Agreement (SLA) planning andfulfillment provide pre-arrangement for, and procurement of, cloudcomputing resources for which a future requirement is anticipated inaccordance with an SLA.

Workloads layer 66 provides examples of functionality for which thecloud computing environment may be utilized. Examples of workloads andfunctions which may be provided from this layer include: mapping andnavigation; software development and lifecycle management; virtualclassroom education delivery; data analytics processing; and transactionprocessing.

With regard to the specific mechanisms of the illustrative embodiments,various layers of the cloud computing system may provide various ones ofthe mechanisms of the illustrative embodiments. For example, as shown inFIG. 3, the physical sensors that provide sensor data for responding toapplication requests may be provided in the hardware and software layer60 along with the storage hardware and software necessary for storingthe sensor data. The application programming interfaces (APIs) forvirtualizing the physical sensors may be provided in the virtualizationlayer 62 for providing APIs through which the various sensors in thehardware and software layer 60 may communicate with the Sensor Cloudmechanisms of the illustrative embodiments. The APIs for communicatingwith applications/users may be provided in the workloads layer 66.Various management operations for managing the Sensor Cloud may beprovided in the management layer 64. It should be appreciated that whileportions of the Sensor Cloud mechanisms are depicted in various layersof the cloud computing system, the illustrative embodiments are notlimited to this particular arrangement of elements and elements of theSensor Cloud mechanisms of the illustrative embodiments may be presentedin various other layers without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe illustrative embodiments.

FIG. 4 is an example block diagram illustrating the interaction andoperation of the primary operational elements of the Sensor Cloudmechanisms of the illustrative embodiments. The elements shown in FIG. 4may be implemented as software instructions executed on one or more dataprocessing devices, e.g., processors and memories, for example. In someillustrative embodiments, these data processing devices may be providedas client computing devices, server computing devices such as shown inFIG. 1, or the like.

As shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of environments 460-480 may be equippedwith one or more physical sensors 462, 472, and 482. The plurality ofenvironments 460-480 may comprise one or more data processing systems,computing devices, electronic devices, and/or the like. These devicesmay have the physical sensors 462, 472, and 482 deployed in thesedevices or otherwise provided in association with these devices. Thephysical sensors 462, 472, and 482 may be provided with a communicationmechanism themselves, or via the devices with which they are associated,for communicating with the Sensor Cloud mechanisms 500 of theillustrative embodiments. Specifically, the Sensor Cloud mechanismsprovide various sensor APIs 430-434 for different types of physicalsensors. These sensor APIs 430-434 provide a standardized interfacethrough which the physical sensors 462, 472, and 482 communicate theirsensor data to the physical sensor data storage system 440. The sensorAPIs 430-434 recognize the format of data received from the physicalsensors 462, 472, and 482 that they are configured to communicate with.The physical sensors 462, 472, and 482 themselves, or the devices withwhich they are associated, are configured to specifically call theparticular sensor API 430-434 that corresponds to the type of physicalsensor 462, 472, and 482. Thus, for example, if sensor 462 is atemperature sensor of a first type T1, and sensor API 430 isspecifically configured to work with temperature sensors of type T1,then the sensor 462 or its associated device is configured tospecifically call the sensor API 430 when communicating sensor data tothe sensor data storage system 440.

To further illustrate possible implementations of the sensor APIs430-434, consider the following example sensor API:

getSensorReadings(

sensorType (e.g. temperature, CO2, snowfall, etc.)

startingLattitude,

startingLongitude,

endingLattitude,

endingLongitude,

startingElevation (include unit of measure),

endingElevation (include unit of measure),

startDate,

endDate,

averagingPeriod (e.g. minutes, hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, etc.),

interpolation (interpolate temperature to the inch, centimeter, foot,meter, yard, etc.)

RoR (useful if interpolation is selected))

This example sensor API may be invoked as follows, for example:K2_Temperatures=getSensorReadings(temperatureSensor, 35.891811,76.4994487, 35.8954139, 76.5189876, 5400 meters, 8611 meters, 1909,2012, weekly). Note that data for periods of time which pre-date theadvanced sensing technology used today may be requested. In those cases,the illustrative embodiments attempt to find the data either in itspreload store, or in other available sources.

In a similar manner, the virtual sensor management module 452, maycommunicate with the physical sensors 462, 472, and 482 and/or theirassociated devices, for purposes of requesting sensor data, configuringthe physical sensors, or performing other management operations formanaging the Sensor Cloud with which the physical sensors 462, 472, and482 are associated. The sensor APIs 430-434 may provide an interface forfacilitating such communication, or other similar sensor APIs (notshown) may be provided for such communication.

The received sensor data from the physical sensors 462, 472, and 482,received via the sensor APIs 430-434, is processed by the virtual sensormanagement module 452 in combination with the sensor data storage system440 so as to store the sensor data in a standardized organized manner inthe sensor data storage system 440 so that it is retrievable byapplications via virtual sensor APIs 420-424. The standardized organizedformat for the sensor data may be general for all sensor data or maycomprise separate standardized organized formats for different types ofsensors, e.g., temperature sensors having a first format, voltagesensors having a second format, audio sensors having a third format,etc. The virtual sensor management module 452 may receive the rawphysical sensor data from the sensors 462, 472, and 482 via the sensorAPIs 430-434 and may process the sensor data to format it into thestandardized organized format. The resulting formatted physical sensordata may then be stored in the sensor data storage system 440 along withother characteristic information regarding the particular physicalsensors 462, 472, and 482 from which the sensor data was received, theenvironments 460-480 from which the sensor data was received, anylimitations on the use of the sensor data, e.g., particular types ofapplications, users, or the like, that can retrieve the stored sensordata, and/or the like.

With the standardized storage format for sensor data, various labels orother identifiers may be associated with the raw sensor data during thecapture of the raw sensor data by the physical sensors and providedalong with the raw sensor data from the physical sensors. These labelsor identifiers may be used as a basis for storing the data into variousfields of the standardized format so as to facilitate rapid searching ofsensor data. The sensor data may be stored in a traditional databasetype storage, a federated database, or the like.

Applications, such as application 410, request sensor data from theSensor Cloud 450 by sending requests to a corresponding virtual sensorAPI 420-424 of the Sensor Cloud 450, The requests from the application410 are general requests for a type of sensor data and do not specifyany particular physical sensor 462, 472, or 482, or if the request hassuch a request for a specific physical sensor, it is ignored by thevirtual sensor API 420-424 to which the request is transmitted. Theapplication 410 is configured to call a particular virtual sensor API420-424 corresponding to the type of physical sensor data that theapplication 410 is requesting.

The virtual sensor APIs 420-424 act as the virtual sensor of theparticular type corresponding to the type of physical sensor datarequested by the application 410. Thus, from the view of the application410, the application is requesting a particular physical sensor datafrom a generic physical sensor that is virtualized by the virtual sensorAPI 420-424. The virtual sensor APIs 420-424 are configured to returnresulting sensor data retrieved from the sensor data storage system 440in a format corresponding to that of the physical sensors 462, 472, and482 of the type corresponding to the type of sensor data retrieved.Thus, again, from the view of the application 410, the application 410is receiving the requested data from a generic physical sensor of thetype corresponding to the type of physical sensor data requested. Inactuality, the sensor data may be obtained from any of a number ofdifferent physical sensors 462, 472, or 482 corresponding to the type ofphysical sensor data requested. Thus, the physical sensor data may inactuality be a combination of physical sensor data from a plurality ofdifferent physical sensors of the type corresponding to the type ofphysical system data requested, rather than being only from oneparticular physical sensor.

The following is an example of a virtual sensor API illustrating onepossible implementation of a virtual sensor API 420-424. This is only anexample and is not intended to limit the particular implementations oftypes of virtual sensor APIs that may be used with the mechanisms of theillustrative embodiments.

putRawSensorReading(

mySensorType (e.g. temperature, CO2, snowfall, etc.)

lattitude,

longitude,

elevation (include unit of measure),

date)

Such a virtual sensor API may be invoked using the following examplestatement putRawSensorReading(temperatureSensor, 35.891811, 76.4994487,8611 meters, 31 Jul. 1954). This raw sensor data is placed in thevirtual sensor storage and is searchable via any of the labels that wereprovided as parameters, for example lattitude, longitude, elevation,date.

Thus, the Sensor Cloud 450 includes virtual sensor APIs 420-424 thatoperate as virtual sensors to which the application 410 may submit arequest for a particular type of sensor data as specified by inputparameters and can expect results to be provided in a manner and formatconsistent with the type of output actually provided by the physicalsensor 462, 472, and 482, such that it is transparent to the application410 as to whether the sensor data is being provided by the Sensor Cloud450 based virtualized sensors, as defined by the virtual sensor APIs420-424, or from actual physical sensors 462, 472, and 482.

As an example, one of the virtual sensor APIs 420-424 may be an API forrequesting current temperature data for a user-defined range oflatitudes and longitudes, as previously discussed above. In response toa request from an application 410 for such temperature data, the requestincluding input parameters indicating the latitudes/longitudes as wellas other input parameters, the API 420 may return an array oftemperature data values ordered first by increasing latitude and then byincreasing longitude, or organized according to a user specifiedpreference in the input parameters. The API 420 may further allow theuser to specify additional conditions of the request includingrequesting that the sensor data be interpolated with a user-specifiedgranularity and indicate how the interpolated sensor data may beorganized in the returned results, as previously discussed above.

The virtual sensor APIs 420-424 allow the application 410 to requestonly the parameters of the sensor data that the application 410 needswithout having to specify a particular physical sensor 462, 472, or 482,be read. That is, in the request, the application 410 specifies only thetype of sensor data the application wants returned, any operations to beperformed on the sensor data, and the format of the returned data, andthe like. The virtual sensor management module 452 and/or sensor datastorage system 440, either alone or in combination, provide a searchingtool to search the stored sensor data logs of the storage system 440 forthe sensor data corresponding to the requested sensor data type. If theapplication 410 requested a particular operation to be performed on thefound data, e.g., ordering of the sensor data, averaging of the sensordata, or any other type of operation, the virtual sensor managementmodule 452 or the mechanisms of the storage system 440 perform therequested operations on the found sensor data and return the processedsensor data to the requesting application 410 in the requested format.As noted above, it should be appreciated that this sensor data may allcome from the same physical sensor 462, 472, or 482, or a plurality ofphysical sensors associated with different electronic devices indifferent environments 460, 470, and 480. The application 410 does notknow what physical sensors 462, 472, or 482 are providing the sensordata only that the requested sensor data is returned from the SensorCloud 450.

The virtual sensor management module 452 may further provideauthentication mechanisms for authenticating an application 410, or auser of an application 410, before providing the requested sensor data.Once authenticated, the application/user may be granted access to therequested sensor data for which it/they are authorized. If theapplication 410 and/or user is not authenticated, or is notauthenticated for the particular sensor data requested, then a denialresponse may be returned to the requesting application 410 and/or user.

In addition, as mentioned above, some sources of sensor data may havelimiting criteria for the retrieval of this sensor data for use byrequesting applications 410 or users. The virtual sensor managementmodule 452, when controlling the return of results of the retrieval ofsensor data from the storage system 440, may apply the limiting criteriato determine whether those portions of sensor data coming from sourceshaving limiting criteria should be included in the results based on thelimiting criteria and the parameters of the request, including thesource of the request, e.g., application 410 and/or user. As notedabove, such limiting criteria as well as other parameters associatedwith the sensor data that may aid in the searching and retrieval ofsensor data corresponding to application 410 requests may be stored inassociation with the sensor data in the storage system 440.

The storage system 440 maintains current sensor data obtained from thephysical sensors 462, 472, and 482 via corresponding sensor APIs430-434, as well as historic sensor data as storage space permits. Thestorage system 440 accepts sensor data from a variety of differentsensors of a variety of different sensor types. Again, the sensor datamay be obtained from a variety of different sensor types in a variety ofdifferent formats via the standard APIs 430-434, but may store thereceived data in a uniform standard format within the storage system 440of the Sensor Cloud 450 for ease of retrieval. The variety of differentsensors 462, 472, and 482 may have overlapping sensor data. Suchredundancy can be leveraged by the Sensor Cloud 450 to detect sensors462, 472, or 482 that appear to be unreliable based on comparison withnearby sensors of a same type, where nearby may be determined based on,for example, sensors being in a same environment 460-480 or environmentsthat are in close proximity to each other. In addition, the virtualsensor management module 452, storage system 440, or other mechanism ofthe Sensor Cloud 450 can provide a thinning function to remove orcompress redundant data from sensors 462, 472, and 482.

Thus, as discussed above, with these mechanisms of the Sensor Cloud 450,sensor data from a variety of different physical sensors 462, 472, and482 associated with the same or different environments 460-480comprising data processing devices, electronic devices, or the like, maybe received into the Sensor Cloud 450 and used to represent data outputby virtualized sensors, as defined by virtual sensor APIs 420-424.Applicants may request sensor data from the Sensor Cloud 450 withoutspecifying a particular physical sensor 462, 472, or 482, from which thedata is to be retrieved. Standardized virtual sensor APIs 420-424 permitsuch communication between applications 410 and the Sensor Cloud 450 aswell as communication between the physical sensors 462, 472, and 482 andthe Sensor Cloud 450 via sensor APIs 430-434. A standardized organizedstorage system 440 permits the virtual sensor APIs 420-424 to accesssensor data obtained from a variety of different physical sensors 462,472, and 482 in a uniform manner. As a result, the mechanisms of theillustrative embodiments provide a true virtualized sensor mechanism inwhich applications are not as susceptible to unavailability ofparticular physical sensors. With the mechanisms of the illustrativeembodiments, the virtual sensors are defined internal to the SensorCloud 450, such as by the virtual sensor APIs 420-424, and not specifiedas filter conditions by the particular applications 410 requesting thesensor data.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart outlining an example operation for handling arequest from an application for sensor data using a Sensor Cloud inaccordance with one illustrative embodiment. The operation outlined inFIG. 5 may be implemented, for example, by a virtual sensor managementmodule either itself or in combination with other Sensor Cloud logicprovided, for example, in association with a sensor data storage systemof the Sensor Cloud. It is assumed in the operation of FIG. 5 thatsensor data has already been collected from physical sensors using oneor more sensor APIs of the Sensor Cloud, processed by the virtual sensormanagement module, and stored in the sensor data storage system suchthat it may be retrieved in response to requests from applicationsdirected to the Sensor Cloud.

As shown in FIG. 5, the operation starts with receiving a request forsensor data in a virtual sensor API of the Sensor Cloud, the virtualsensor API being a virtual sensor API for the particular type of sensordata requested (step 510). The request may specify the type of sensordata desired, any parameters for identifying the particular sensor dataof interest, as well as information about the requesting application,the user of the requesting application, and the like. Based on theidentification of the requesting application and/or user, anauthentication of the requestor is performed (step 520). If therequestor is not authenticated (step 530) and cannot access therequested sensor data, then access to the requested sensor data isdenied (step 540).

If the requestor is authenticated (step 530), then the requested sensordata is retrieved from the virtual sensor storage of the Sensor Cloud inaccordance with the parameters specified in the request (step 550). Theretrieved sensor data is then formatted as requested in the in theoriginal request and to further match the actual output that would beexpected from an actual physical sensor providing the type of sensordata requested (step 560). The formatted sensor data is then returned tothe requestor (step 570). The operation then terminates.

It should be appreciated that the illustrative embodiments may take theform of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodimentor an embodiment containing both hardware and software elements. In oneexample embodiment, the mechanisms of the illustrative embodiments areimplemented in software or program code, which includes but is notlimited to firmware, resident software, microcode, etc.

A data processing system suitable for storing and/or executing programcode will include at least one processor coupled directly or indirectlyto memory elements through a system bus. The memory elements can includelocal memory employed during actual execution of the program code, bulkstorage, and cache memories which provide temporary storage of at leastsome program code in order to reduce the number of times code must beretrieved from bulk storage during execution.

Input/output or I/O devices (including but not limited to keyboards,displays, pointing devices, etc.) can be coupled to the system eitherdirectly or through intervening I/O controllers. Network adapters mayalso be coupled to the system to enable the data processing system tobecome coupled to other data processing systems or remote printers orstorage devices through intervening private or public networks. Modems,cable modems and Ethernet cards are just a few of the currentlyavailable types of network adapters.

The description of the present invention has been presented for purposesof illustration and description, and is not intended to be exhaustive orlimited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications andvariations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. Theembodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain theprinciples of the invention, the practical application, and to enableothers of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention forvarious embodiments with various modifications as are suited to theparticular use contemplated.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method, in a data processing system, forvirtualizing physical sensors and providing sensor data to a requestorusing the virtualized physical sensors, the method comprising:obtaining, in the data processing system, sensor data from a pluralityof physical sensors; storing the sensor data in a virtual sensor storagesystem of the data processing system in at least one standardizedformat; receiving, in the virtual sensor storage system, a request froma requestor for a first type of sensor data, wherein the request doesnot specify a particular physical sensor; retrieving, by the virtualsensor storage system, a portion of the sensor data stored in thevirtual sensor storage system in response to receiving the request,wherein the portion of sensor data corresponds to the type of sensordata requested in the request from the requestor; and returning, by thevirtual sensor storage system, the retrieved portion of the sensor datato the requestor in a format corresponding to a physical sensorconfigured to provide the requested type of sensor data, wherein thesensor data is obtained via one or more standardized applicationprogramming interfaces (APIs) with which the plurality of physicalsensors communicate and which communicate data to the virtual sensorstorage system, and wherein the one or more standardized APIs comprisesat least one first standardized API for communication with a first typeof physical sensor in the plurality of physical sensors, and at leastone second standardized API for communication with a second type ofphysical sensor in the plurality of physical sensors, the first type ofphysical sensor being different than the second type of physical sensor,and the at least one first standardized API is different from the atleast one second standardized API.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein thevirtual sensor storage system comprises a cloud based storage systemcomprising a plurality of storage devices coupled to one another via atleast one network and represented as a single virtual sensor storagesystem to the requestor requesting sensor data from the virtual sensorstorage system.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality ofphysical sensors comprise a plurality of physical sensors of differenttypes associated with different data processing devices and which sensedifferent types of sensor data.
 4. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: comparing sensor data from a subset of physical sensors inthe plurality of physical sensors whose sensor data overlaps; andidentifying if there is a faulty physical sensor in the subset ofphysical sensors based on results of the comparison.
 5. The method ofclaim 1, wherein retrieving a portion of the sensor data stored in thevirtual sensor storage system in response to receiving the requestfurther comprises: determining if there is a constraint associated withthe portion of the sensor data, wherein the constraint specifies alimitation on which requestors may be provided the portion of the sensordata; determining if the requestor satisfies a condition of theconstraint; and retrieving the portion of the sensor data only inresponse to the requestor not satisfying a condition of the constraint.6. The method of claim 1, wherein retrieving a portion of the sensordata stored in the virtual sensor storage system in response toreceiving the request comprises: retrieving sensor data obtained frommore than one physical sensor in the plurality of physical sensors basedon the type of sensor data requested in the request and criteriaspecified in the request; and combining the sensor data from the morethan one physical sensor into a single resultant set of sensor datarepresenting a sensor output of a single virtual sensor, and whereinreturning the retrieved portion of the sensor data to the requestorcomprises returning the single resultant set of sensor data to therequestor as the sensor output of the single virtual sensor.
 7. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the sensor data is obtained by identifying aconstraint associated with a subset of the sensor data as specified by asupplier of the subset of the sensor data, and wherein the sensor datais stored in the virtual sensor storage system at least by storing anidentification of the constraint in association with the subset of thesensor data in the virtual sensor storage system, wherein the constraintspecifies a limitation as to which requestors may be provided theassociated subset of the sensor data.
 8. A computer program productcomprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having acomputer readable program stored therein, wherein the computer readableprogram, when executed on a data processing system, causes the dataprocessing system to: obtain sensor data from a plurality of physicalsensors; store the sensor data in a virtual sensor storage system of thedata processing system in at least one standardized format; receive arequest from a requestor for a first type of sensor data, wherein therequest does not specify a particular physical sensor; retrieve aportion of the sensor data stored in the virtual sensor storage systemin response to receiving the request, wherein the portion of sensor datacorresponds to the type of sensor data requested in the request from therequestor; and return the retrieved portion of the sensor data to therequestor in a format corresponding to a physical sensor configured toprovide the requested type of sensor data, wherein the sensor data isobtained via one or more standardized application programming interfaces(APIs) with which the plurality of physical sensors communicate andwhich communicate data to the virtual sensor storage system, and whereinthe one or more standardized APIs comprises at least one firststandardized API for communication with a first type of physical sensorin the plurality of physical sensors, and at least one secondstandardized API for communication with a second type of physical sensorin the plurality of physical sensors, the first type of physical sensorbeing different than the second type of physical sensor, and the atleast one first standardized API is different from the at least onesecond standardized API.
 9. The computer program product of claim 8,wherein the virtual sensor storage system comprises a cloud basedstorage system comprising a plurality of storage devices coupled to oneanother via at least one network and represented as a single virtualsensor storage system to the requestor requesting sensor data from thevirtual sensor storage system.
 10. The computer program product of claim8, wherein the plurality of physical sensors comprise a plurality ofphysical sensors of different types associated with different dataprocessing devices and which sense different types of sensor data. 11.The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the computer readableprogram further causes the data processing system to: compare sensordata from a subset of physical sensors in the plurality of physicalsensors whose sensor data overlaps; and identify if there is a faultyphysical sensor in the subset of physical sensors based on results ofthe comparison.
 12. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein thecomputer readable program causes the data processing system to obtainsensor data by identifying a constraint associated with a subset of thesensor data as specified by a supplier of the subset of the sensor data,and wherein the computer readable program further causes the dataprocessing system to store the sensor data in the virtual sensor storagesystem at least by storing an identification of the constraint inassociation with the subset of the sensor data in the virtual sensorstorage system, wherein the constraint specifies a limitation as towhich requestors may be provided the associated subset of the sensordata.
 13. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the computerreadable program causes the data processing system to retrieve a portionof the sensor data stored in the virtual sensor storage system inresponse to receiving the request further by: determining if there is aconstraint associated with the portion of the sensor data, wherein theconstraint specifies a limitation on which requestors may be providedthe portion of the sensor data; determining if the requestor satisfies acondition of the constraint; and retrieving the portion of the sensordata only in response to the requestor not satisfying a condition of theconstraint.
 14. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein thecomputer readable program causes the data processing system to retrievea portion of the sensor data stored in the virtual sensor storage systemin response to receiving the request by: retrieving sensor data obtainedfrom more than one physical sensor in the plurality of physical sensorsbased on the type of sensor data requested in the request and criteriaspecified in the request; and combining the sensor data from the morethan one physical sensor into a single resultant set of sensor datarepresenting a sensor output of a single virtual sensor, and whereinreturning the retrieved portion of the sensor data to the requestorcomprises returning the single resultant set of sensor data to therequestor as the sensor output of the single virtual sensor.
 15. Anapparatus, comprising: a processor; and a memory coupled to theprocessor, wherein the memory comprises instructions which, whenexecuted by the processor, cause the processor to: obtain sensor datafrom a plurality of physical sensors; store the sensor data in a virtualsensor storage system of the data processing system in at least onestandardized format; receive a request from a requestor for a first typeof sensor data, wherein the request does not specify a particularphysical sensor; retrieve a portion of the sensor data stored in thevirtual sensor storage system in response to receiving the request,wherein the portion of sensor data corresponds to the type of sensordata requested in the request from the requestor; and return theretrieved portion of the sensor data to the requestor in a formatcorresponding to a physical sensor configured to provide the requestedtype of sensor data, wherein the sensor data is obtained via one or morestandardized application programming interfaces (APIs) with which theplurality of physical sensors communicate and which communicate data tothe virtual sensor storage system, and wherein the one or morestandardized APIs comprises at least one first standardized API forcommunication with a first type of physical sensor in the plurality ofphysical sensors, and at least one second standardized API forcommunication with a second type of physical sensor in the plurality ofphysical sensors, the first type of physical sensor being different thanthe second type of physical sensor, and the at least one firststandardized API is different from the at least one second standardizedAPI.